Door hinge assembly



Jin. 23, 1962 R. T. PSlK DOOR HINGE ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet l I Filed April 24, 1959 r/ll/ A TTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 up. My

IN VEN TOR. fiaieffz J7)? ATTORNEY I ff/l Jan. 23, 1962 R. T. PSlK DOOR HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed April 24, 1959 United States Patent 3,017,659 DOOR HINGE ASSEMBLY Robert T. Psik, Inkster, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 808,799 8 Claims. (Cl. 16146) This invention relates to door hinge assemblies and more particularly to door hinge and hold open assemblies.

The assembly of this invention provides a hold open in a substantially open position of the door and further provides both a check and a hold open in the full open position of the door. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the assembly generally includes male and female hinge members and also a pair of detent members pivoted to the male hinge member remote from the pivotal connection thereof to the female hinge member. The detent members swing as a unit between the legs of the female hinge member, between the pivotal axis of the hinge members and the body or mounting portion of the female hinge member, and each is provided with a cam edge having spaced partial and full hold open detent shoulders. Abutment means on the female hinge member are held in continuous engagement with the cam edges of the detent members by a compression spring seated on the male hinge member at the pivotal axis compression spring and the longitudinal axes of the r which includes a pair of detent members having cam edges engageable with abutment means on a fixed hinge member and held in engagement therewith by compression spring means. Another feature of this invention is that it provides a door hinge and hold open assembly which includes a pair of detent members held in engagement with abutment means throughout the entire range of door opening and closing movement by compression spring means, and further provides means allowing the angularity between the force of the compression spring means and the longitudinal axes of the detent members to be continuously changed as required.

These and other features of this invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partial view of a vehicle body door pillar and a door mounted thereon by means of a hinge and hold open assembly according to this invention, with the door being shown in closed position;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the door in open position;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, with parts thereof broken away for clarity of illustration; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the hinge assembly generally includes male and female hinge members 10 and 12, respectively, which are mounted on a vehicle door 14 and a vehicle body pillar 16, respectively, so as to swingably mount the door on the pillar for movement between a closed position, as shown in FIGURE 1, and an open position, as shown in FIGURE 2. The female hinge member 12 includes a mounting or body portion 18 which is secured to the pillar 16 by a number of bolts 20 and extends outwardly of the jamb wall 22 of the pillar through an aperture therein. The hinge member 12 further includes a pair of laterally extending legs 24 which are provided with aligned pairs of apertures 26 and 28 respectively, FIGURE 4. The male hinge member 10 includes a mounting or body portion 30 which is bolted at 32 to a jamb face 34 of door 14. The hinge member 10 further includes a spaced pair of laterally extending lugs 36 and 33 apertured at 40 and 42 respectively, FIG- URES 3 and 4. The lug 38 is received between the free ends of the legs 24 of hinge member 12 and a hinge pin 44 extends through the apertures 28 and 42 so as to swingably mount the hinge member 10 and the door 14 on the hinge member 12 and the pillar 16.

A pair of like detent members 46 are swingably secured to lug 36 at the upper and lower sides thereof by hinge pins 43 fitting within each of the apertures 40. As can be seen in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings the detent members 46 swing between the legs 24 of hinge member 12 as the door is moved between open and closed positions. The detent members 46 are interconnected adjacent the free ends thereof by a pin or shaft 51 which is riveted to each of the detent members so as to fixedly interconnect them for unitary swinging movement. Shaft 50 includes a center portion 52 of reduced diameter. A coil compression spring 54 has one end thereof seated within a bore 56 provided in lug 38 of hinge member 10 and the other end thereof seats on a yoke member 58 secured to a pin 60 slidably received within the spring. As best shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings the legs of the yoke member 58 are each provided with an arcuate cut out portion 62 so as to slidably and frictionally bear against the portion 52 of shaft 50.

A pin or abutment member 64 extends through each of the apertures 26 in the legs 24 of hinge member 12 into the space between these legs and also in the path of swinging movement of the detent members 46 relative to the hinge member 10. The spring 54 biases the cam edges 66 of the detent members into engagement with the free ends of the pins 64 throughout the entire range of opening and closing movement of the door to provide both a partial and a full hold open and also a check as will now be described.

When the door is in closed position, as shown in FIGURE 1, arcuate edge portions 68 of the cam edges, 66 engage a respective pin 64. Portions 68 lie on arcs having their center at the pivotal axis of swinging movement of the door, as defined by the hinge pin 44, during the initial range of door opening movement. Thus, during this initial range, such as 35 to 42 degrees, there is only a slight frictional resistance to movement of the edge portions 68 relative to the pins 64 whereby the door is easily moved through this initial range of opening movement or, alternatively, through the same range of final closing movement with minimum efifort. Upon further door opening movement, such as in a subsequent range of 8 to 10 degrees, the arcuate edge portions 70 of the cam edges 66 move relative to the pins 64. Edge portions '70 lie on arcs having a different radius than portions 68 during this subsequent range of movement and thus there is an increasing resistance to this further door opening movement so as to require increasing eifort from minimum to maximum. Alternatively, when the door is being closed, there is a decreasing resistance to movement of the edge portions 70 relative to the pins 64 through this same range of door closing movement whereby the effort required decreases from maximum to minimum as the edge portions 70 move past the pins 64 and edge portions 63 come into engagement with pins 64. The edge portions 70 of cam edges 66 start approximately at the point 71 indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2, tangent to the edge portions 68, and terminate at shoulder edge portions 72.

As the door moves through the next 1 to 2 degrees of door opening movement, the edge portions 72 move relative to the pins 64 to locate the pins at the juncture of these edge portions with the arcuate edge portions 74 and thereby provide the hold open for the partial open position of the door. Edge portions 74 lie on arcs having their center at the pivotal axis of swinging movement of the door, as defined by the hinge pin 44, and thus the effort required decreases rapidly to a minimum as edge portions 72 move relative to pins 64 and stays at a minimum through the next 5 to 8 degrees of door opening movement as edge portions 74 move relative to pins '64. Alternatively, the etfort required is at a minimum during door closing movement through the same range and then rapidly increases to a maximum as edge portions 72 move relative to pins 64 until the pins are located on edge portions 70.

Edge portions 74 merge into edge portions 75 which lie on arcs having a larger radius than the arcs on which edge portions 74 lie so as to offer an increasing resistance upon subsequent opening movement of the door through the next 4 to 5 degrees whereby the efiort required again increases from minimum to maximum. Edge portions 75 start at approximately the point 76, marked in FIG- URES 1 and 2, and terminate in edge portions 78 which provide 'a hold open depression adjacent the free ends of each of the detent members. Engagement of the hold open depressions with the pins 64 provide both a hold open in the full open position of the door and also a check.

when the door is in closed position as shown in FIG- URE 1, it will be noted that the angle between the center line of the force of spring 54 and the center line of the detent members between the axes of pins 48 and 50 is acute and changes very slightly, remaining substantially constant except for slight variations, as the door is moved toward open position. The slidable and pivotal mounting of the one end of the spring 54 on the pin 50 provided by the yoke member 58 accommodates this slight change in angularity whereby there is no bending or twisting of the spring 54 and it can exert its full force at all times along the axis of the spring.

Further, it will be noted that in the open position of the door the center line of force of the spring is inboard, or to the left as viewed in FIGURE 2, of a line between the axes of pins 64 and 44 whereby the spring 54 holds the pins 64 tightly in the hold open depressions so that there will be no rattling or other movement of the door relative to the pillar.

, The center line of force of the spring 54 remains to the outboard side, or to the right as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2, 'of a line between the axes of pins 44 and 64 throughout substantially the entire range of both opening and closing movement of the door. The center line of force of the spring comes into alignment with a line between the axes of pins 64 and 44 as the arcuate edge portions 75 of the cam edges move relative to the pins 64 and thereafter the center line of force shifts inboard or outboard of the aforementioned line as the hold open depressions move into or out of engagement with pins 64. It can be seen that this provides a snap action hold open when the door reaches a fully open position, and the fact that the center line of force of the spring lies between pins 48 and 64 increases the hold open action.

From the foregoing description, the manner in which the hinge and hold open assembly operates during closing movement of the door is believed to be obvious and accordingly no further description will be given other than to note that maximum etfort must be applied to the door to break the hold open depressions out of engagement with the pins 64 during the initial closing movement of the door and to cause the shoulder edge portions 72 to cam past the pins 64 to move the door past the partial hold open position thereof. Otherwise, only minimum etfort is required.

Thus this invention provides a new and improved door hinge and hold open assembly. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with the rear door of a vehicle body it will be appreciated that it has many other and varied uses.

What is claimed is:

1. A door hinge check and hold open comprising, in combination, a pair of hinge members, means pivotally interconnecting said members for movement of one hinge member relative to the other hinge member through a predetermined angle, a detent member pivoted adjacent one end thereof on said one hinge member for movement therewith, said detent member being provided with a cam edge facing away from the pivotal axis of said hinge members and terminating in a hold open depression adjacent the other end of said detent member, an abutment member on said other hinge member adapted to continuously engage said cam edge upon swinging movement of said one hinge member relative to said other hinge member and to be received within said depression when said hinge members have moved relative to each other through said predetermined angle, resilient means extending between said one hinge member and said detent member to continuously urge the cam edge of said detent member into engagement with said abutment member, means securing one end of said resilient meansto said one hinge member for movement therewith, and means pivotally securing the other end of said resilient means to said detent member to cause said resilient means to move as a unit with said one hinge member and pivot relative to said detent member as said detent member pivots relative to said one hinge member.

2. A door hinge check and hold open comprising, in combination, a pair of hinge members, means pivotally interconnecting said members for movement of one hinge member relative to the other hinge member through a predetermined angle, a detent member pivoted adjacent one end thereof on said one hinge member for movement therewith and swinging movement relative thereto, said detent member being provided with a cam edge facing away from the pivotal axis of said hinge members and terminating in a hold open depression adjacent the other end of said detent member, an abutment member on said other hinge member adapted to continuously engage said cam edge upon swinging movement of said one hinge member relative to said other hinge member and to be received 'within said depression when said hinge members have moved relative to each other through said predetermined angle, means extending between said one hinge member and said detent member to bias said members apart and continuously urge the cam edge of said detent member into engagement with said abutment member, means securing said biasing means adjacent one end thereof to said one hinge member adjacent the pivotal axis of said hinge members, and means pivotally securing said biasing means adjacent the other end thereof to said detent member adjacent said other end thereof to permit movement of said biasing means as a unit with said one hinge member and pivotal movement of said biasing means relative to said detent member as said detent member pivots relative to said one hinge member.

3. A door hinge check and hold open comprising, in combination, a first hinge member having a pair of laterally extending spaced legs, a second hinge member including a laterally extending lug received between the legs of said first hinge member, means pivotally connecting the legs of said first hinge member to the lug of said second hinge member for movement of said second hinge member relative to said first hinge member through a predetermined angle, a detent member pivoted adjacent one end thereof on said second hinge member for movement between the legs of said first hinge member, said detent member being provided with a cam edge facing away from the pivotal axis of said hinge members and terminating in a hold open depression adjacent the other end of said detent member, an abutment member on said first hinge member adapted to continuously engage said cam edge upon swinging movement of said second hinge member relative to said first hinge member and to be received within said depression when said hinge members have moved relative to each other through said predetermined angle, and resilient means extending between said second hingle member and said detent member to bias said second hinge member and said detent member apart and continuously urge the cam edge of said detent member into engagement with said abutment member.

4. A door hinge check and hold open comprising, in combination, a first hinge member having a pair of laterally extending spaced legs, a second hinge member including a laterally extending lug received between the legs of said first hinge member, means pivotally connecting the legs of said first hinge member to the lug of said second hinge member for movement of said second hinge member relative to said first hinge member through a predetermined angle, a detent member pivoted adjacent one end thereof on said second hinge member for movement between the lgs of said first hinge member, said detent member being provided with a cam edge facing away from the pivotal axis of said hinge members and terminating in a hold open depression adjacent the other end of said detent member, an abutment member on said first hinge member adapted to continuously engage said cam edge upon swinging movement of said second hinge member relative to said first hinge member and to be received within said depression when said hinge members have moved relative to each other through said predetermined angle, resilient means for biasing said second hinge member and said detent member apart to continuously urge the cam edge of said detent member into engagement with said abutment member, means securing said resilient means adjacent one end thereof to said second hinge member, and means pivotally securing said resilient means adjacent the other end thereof to said detent member to allow said resilient means to move as a unit with said second hinge member as said detent member swings relative to said second hinge member and said resilient means.

5. A door hinge and hold open comprising, in combination, a first hinge member having a pair of laterally extending spaced legs, a second hinge member including a laterally extending lug received between the legs of said first hinge member, means pivotally connecting the legs of said first hinge member to the lug of said second hinge upon swinging movement of said second hinge member relative to the first hinge member and to be received within said depression when said hinge members have moved relative to each other through said predetermined angle, compression spring means extending between said second hinge member and said detent member to bias said second hinge member and said detent member apart and continuously urge the cam edge of said detent member into engagement with said abutment member, means seating one end of said spring means on said lug of said second hinge member, and means pivotally seating the other end of said spring means on said detent member.

6. A door hinge and hold open comprising, in combination, a pair of hinge members, means pivotally interconnecting said members -for movement of one hinge member relative to the other hinge member through a predetermined angle, a detent member pivoted adjacent one end thereof on said one hinge member remote from the axis of swinging movement thereof, said detent member being provided with a cam edge facing away from the pivotal axis of said hinge members, said edge including a first arcuate edge portion lying on an are having its center at the axis of swinging of said one hinge member, a second arcuate edge portion adjacent said first edge portion and lying on an are having its center spaced from the axis of swinging of said hinge members, a hold open shoulder on said cam edge adjacent said second arcuate edge portion thereof, an abutment member on said other hinge member adapted to successively engage said arcuate edge portions and shoulder upon swinging movement of said one hinge member relative to said other hinge member through said predetermined angle, whereby the effort required increases from minimum to maximum, and resilient means extending between said one hinge member and said detent member to urge said arcuate edge portions and said shoulder of said detent member into engagement with said abutment member.

7. A door hinge and hold open comprising, in combination, a pair of binge members, means pivotally interconnecting said members for movement of one hinge member relative to the other hinge member through a predetermined angle, a detent member pivoted adjacent one end thereof on said one hinge member remote from the pivotal axis thereof, said detent member being provided with a cam edge facing away from the pivotal axis of said hinge members, said edge including spaced first and second arcuate edge portions lying on arcs having their center at the pivotal axis of said one hinge member, a third arcuate edge portion adjacent said first edge portion and lying on an are having its center remote from the pivotal axis of said hinge members, said third edge portion being joined to said second edge portion by a shoulder edge portion, an abutment member on said other hinge member adapted to successively engage said first and second arcuate edge portions upon swinging movement of said one hinge member relative to the other and to engage said shoulder and third edge portion when said hinge members have moved relative to each other through said predetermined angle to provide a hold open, and resilient means extending between said one hinge member and said detent member to urge said edge portions and said shoulder of said detent member into engagement with said abutment member.

8. A door hinge check and hold open comprising, in combination, a pair of hinge members, means pivotally interconnecting said members for movement of one relative to the other through a predetermined angle, a pair of detent members pivoted adjacent one end thereof on said one hinge member, each provided with a cam edge facing away from the pivotal axis of said hinge members and terminating in a hold open depression adjacent the other end thereof, means interconnecting said detent members adjacent said other ends thereof to cause said members to swing as a unit, abutment means on said other hinge member adapted to continuously engage said cam edges upon swinging movement of said one hinge member relative to the other and to be received within said depressions when said members have moved relative to each other through said predetermined angle, and resilient means extending between said one hinge member and said detent member to continuously urge the cam edges of said detent members into engagement with said abutment member, means seating one end of said resilient means on said one hinge member, and means pivotally seating the other end of said resilient means on said means interconnecting said detent members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Joachim Sept. 1, 1942 Pollock et al. July 13, 1954 Johnson Nov. 1, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS Canada Oct. 16, 1956 Canada Sept. 30, 1958 

